awkward manner. A few minutes more passed, and Harry began to
wonder why he did not see the schooner. She could not go much farther
in that direction without being dashed upon the shoals, and Tom must
soon round to and come out, if he wished to save his vessel. The roar of
the breakers grew louder and louder as the yacht approached them, and
the waves dashed and foamed over the ledge, just as they had done when
the Crusoe men braved their fury two hours before. They were now getting
quite as close to them as some of the students cared to go. Even Jackson
became a little uneasy, and, although like all the rest of the crew, he
kept a bright lookout for the Sweepstakes, he now and then glanced
anxiously toward the first lieutenant, who, perched upon the rail, was
turning his glass in every direction, fully conscious of their dangerous
proximity to the breakers, but more interested, just then, in the fate
of the schooner than in any thing else.

"Look here, Mr. Jackson," he exclaimed suddenly, "Tom had better come
out of that. He'll be cast away as sure as he is a foot high."

The second lieutenant thought it very probable that the Storm King would
be cast away also, if her commander did not mind what he was about; but,
like a good officer, he said nothing. He knew that Harry was a better
sailor than he was--he must have been, or he would not have held a
higher rank; that he was quite as deeply in love with the yacht as any
of the crew, and that he would not willingly run her into any danger
from which he could not extricate her. But still the breakers roared
loudly and looked dangerous, and the second lieutenant wished the
vessel well away from them.

"What do you suppose Tom Newcombe is trying to do?" continued Harry,
excitedly. "No boy with his senses about him would take a vessel like
the Sweepstakes in there. Anyhow, we have the satisfaction of knowing
that if he isn't wrecked he can't get away from us. He is penned up,
cornered, caught. What shall we do with him when we capture him? Throw
him overboard?"

The yacht was still bounding toward the shoals with all the speed that
stiff breeze could give her, and just as Harry ceased speaking, the
bluffs on the island loomed up through the darkness. The shore for two
hundred yards was plainly visible, and anxious eyes examined it closely,
but nothing could be seen of the schooner. The students were utterly
bewildered. They looked at one another, then along the shore agai